Neither Rain, Nor Sleet
by GleeGeneration23
Summary: Sometimes when Tia looks at Benjamin, sometimes when she really looks at him she feels…plain and insecure. How can someone as powerful and vibrant be with someone like her? Someone so…inadequate? Benjamin has of course a very different view on the matter. Fluffy Benjamin and Tia one shot. Set during Breaking Dawn. Some language.


**Hello, here is me entering the Twilight fandom again. I recently watched all the movies on Netflix and relived my appreciation for the lesser known couples of Twilight and came up with stories to write. This is the first and a one shot about Benjamin and Tia who I have always liked and like even more now. There isn't a lot of stories about them so i wrote this. I hope you all enjoy and I will be back to this fandom very soon.**

 **Disclaimer-Nothing is mine.**

 **Please Read and Review.**

 **For those of you who don't know me spelling and grammar are not my strongest suit so please keep that in mind when reading. Most facts about these characters life's before Breaking Dawn is taken from the Official Illustrated Guide by Stephanie Meyer.**

 **And I wish you all a very happy new year!.**

* * *

Neither Rain Nor Sleet

Sometimes when Tia looks at Benjamin, sometimes when she really looks at him she feels…plain and insecure. How can someone as powerful and vibrant be with someone like her? Someone so…inadequate? Benjamin has of course a very different view on the matter. Fluffy Benjamin and Tia one shot. Set during Breaking Dawn.

* * *

The problem is not love. For Tia knows that Benjamin loves her. The problem she thinks, is worth. The problem has always been worth. At least for her. It creeps up on her like Alec's dark smoke and most of the time it's not worth dwelling on but times like this…times like this are the worst.

Egypt is different. Egypt is a sprawl of heat and sand and dust and yellow tones. In America—in Washington it is all brown and green and water and cool breezes. Tia likes it. Egypt is her home of course but change is nice and the breeze feels good when it moves her hair and the sound of the rushing waterfall that she can hear is soothing. Her mate of course loves it. In Egypt there is sand and water but here Benjamin can use the mud and the wind and the green trees to his advantage. He's been very excited about the snow as they never have it. His joy at this new life on the other side of the world is something that is infectious. Even the werewolves don't keep away although the smell of them is enough to make her want to shudder.

But in Egypt there is only Amun and Kebi to keep them company. Kebi and Tia have a good relationship. The older woman stays silent because like Tia she doesn't like to talk. She trusts Amun with complete sincerity in the same way that she trust Benjamin. Amun is different. While she knows Amun trusts her and to some extent love her she knows that there are times when her creator looks at her and wonders weather or not she will take his deepest secret and prize away from him. The scares the Volturi left when they took Demetri with them have been ingrained deep in him. Tia has never judged him instead doing what she can to smooth down his fears that now in this strange place have skyrocketed again.

Tia cannot blame him. The Cullen's and their family and friends are different than anything she has come across. She has never seen powers like Isabella's or her daughter, she has never heard of powers like Kate's or gifts such as the one that little Renesmee has. The existence of little Renesmee is perhaps the most baffling of all. Tia has never heard of vampires having children. A part of her wonders if the rest of them have looked at Edward and Is—Bella and wondered if that could have been them.

She has.

She thinks upon it sometimes whenever she is alone. A child like that with her eyes and Benjamin's smile. She has never thought about children. Her human life was hard and she had seen more than one of her friends with children before they had even outgrown childhood. She has never thought of anything other than being with her love and she is content in her immortal life with Benjamin.

But that brings her back to the worth issue.

Benjamin is a token of interest here. He always was she knew but his gifts are revelled in. Something like this—a gift like Benjamin is a little bit like the gift that is Renesmee Cullen. Different and unusual and shouldn't be around. Benjamin is never far from people who watch him, who marvel at him as they well should and Tia watches her husband smile and take pride in what he can do. Revelling in an audience for his powers since his human days so long ago.

She has no such gifts and a vampire like Benjamin should (as Amun has said on more than one occasion in the early days of her vampire life) be with someone who could match him. Sometimes she thinks he is right. Benjamin should be with someone like Bella or Kate with gifts that match their beauty. Vibrance to match vibrance. Benjamin is colour and light and love and vibrance and power all meshed into one body with a smile to die for (pardon the pun). Tia is not.

Sometimes she even wonders on the beauty part. Venom makes anyone pretty but her childhood experiences on the streets have told her beauty fetches a high price and her price was never high. She sits with her back against a tree watching the waterfall flow and listening to it's soothing crescendo and lost in her thoughts far away (or so she hopes) from the mind reader Edward (gentlemen though he might be she doesn't want anyone listening in on these thoughts) when an idea forms in her mind.

She runs back to the house composed. Benjamin is with Amun—they are rowing she thinks about what is to come. Benjamin wants to stay. The Volutri will know about him now either way she accepts that—Aro has only to read the thoughts of another person in that clearing to know that Amun has another gifted vampire like Demetri and then the guard will come after them with some fake controversy and there will be nothing that they can do.

But Benjamin fighting for his freedom gives her reason to allow her to indulge in her vanity for a moment. She enters the house gracefully through the open door rather than adopting Garrett's approach of coming in through an open window (Tia likes to believe that the niceties should be observed as only to respect Esme's generous hospitality) and then she comes face to face with the woman herself wrapping her granddaughter's Christmas presents.

"Good evening Esme" she says gracefully. "Is nobody with you?"

Esme rises gracefully to her feet a smile coming to her face and even in the depths of her misery and confusion Tia manages a genuine smile back. Esme Cullen is one of the nicest people that Tia has met as both human and vampire. She cannot understand anyone who does not like this woman.

"Edward and Bella have taken Renesmee home, my husband, Rosalie and Emmett have gone hunting with Tanya and Kate. I believe many other people have gone hunting as well. Can I do something for you Tia? I can call Benjamin, I believe he and Amun are…somewhere in the forest?"

"Ah no please" Tia replied trying to keep her nerves to a minimum this had sounded a very good idea in her head but now she was not so sure. After all this was a strange thing to ask for.

"I was wondering if I could borrow a mirror."

"A mirror?" to her credit Esme kept her surprise under wraps.

"Yes, a full length one—I would bring it right back of course but I just wanted…" she trailed off. What she wanted to do was rather embarrassing even for her to admit to herself never mind another vampire and someone as kind as Esme at that.

Perhaps because it was Esme that she was asking, she didn't ask any questions about why a vampire wanted to borrow a mirror and take it outside. Probably Tia thought because she thought she had lost her mind.

"Of course, Rosalie has one in her room. If you could just be careful with it she's…rather attached to it" Esme said finishing that sentence in a rather delicate tone with made Tia wonder for a millisecond what had happened to make Rosalie rather fond of her mirrors. Though she imagined living with three…brothers of sorts might have had something to do with it.

Instead she smiled and thanked Esme and found what she was looking for.

She allowed herself a second to look over Rosalie's clothes (because she might have red eyes but since the invention of the internet shopping had become a fun pastime for her—Tia liked modernised clothing) before she took the large mirror, that would have needed two human people to carry and then she jumped out of the window her sandals landing neatly on the grass and then she ran back to the little clearing near the waterfall that she had decided was hers.

She propped the mirror on the grass watching as the bottom dug into the soil. It was a beautiful mirror. Not as ornate as the one she had in Egypt made up next to her dressing table. That was spun in gold and probably stolen by Amun off some Emperor. She had often wondered weather or not the stories about how he had met Cleopatra were true after all. Rosalie's mirror was a bit more modern, the frame from the last ten years or so.

Once she had the mirror in place she began the process of undressing. Once she was naked she looked at herself in the mirror brushing her hair back so she could take in every aspect of this perfect and immortal body. She had been right. Venom could make anything look beautiful—but compared to Rosalie and Bella and Kate, Tanya and Charlotte…all the other vampires she was average. And Bella and Kate they had gifts that attracted the attention and envy of everyone. She was just…average.

There was a pause where she stood there breathing in and looking at herself critically. Gods above she had never felt like this before. She had never felt this insecure before. But then again there had never been people around Benjamin before. She'd always had the luxury of keeping her husband safe with her—ordinary her and now she had to see herself through other's eyes and wonder again what it was vibrant Benjamin saw in someone plain like her on the eve of the biggest war that was about to happen since the Southern Wars.

Suddenly she felt horrible. She shoved her clothes back on and resisted the urge to cry the tearless sobs that vampires cried. To feel like this now was selfish when Edward and Bella had no idea if their daughter would see the next winter holidays with or without them. Or when Esme and Carlisle looked at their children and didn't know if they would see them again.

It was horribly selfish. She shoved her skirt back on and buckled up her belt and turned the mirror over so she didn't have to look at herself.

"Aw don't do that" said a drawl that she knew better than she knew herself. "I was beginning to think that I had done something wonderful I didn't know about"

She turned around and then her scowl and her feelings melted somewhat as she uttered the one word that still managed to make her non-existent pulse race.

"Benjamin"

* * *

Benjamin smiled. Smiling at Tia was easy. She was so beautiful. How could anyone not smile?

Amun had driven him again to the point of distraction. So much so that all he wanted to do was scream and create earthquakes. However night was falling and that was a tad undignified so he had gone to find his mate instead.

Esme had told him where she would be. And also that Rosalie would want her mirror back. Only he comes across his mate standing in front of it staring at herself, all her naked body on display with a frown. It was the frown now that he remembered.

"What is wrong? You were frowning?"

Tia shot him a look. "How long were you there for?" she asked.

"Long enough to once again marvel at your beauty—" he began but he stopped. There it was again, Tia turned her head away as if he had said something she didn't agree with but what? He had commented on her beauty, that was nothing new. Tia was the most stunning woman alive (or undead depending on what you believed).

"What is wrong?" he asked again crossing so that he could wrap both of his arms around her folded one. She looked down her dark hair hiding her face and then shook her head.

"It is nothing." She said even though it was. "It does not do well to dwell on thoughts as petty as mine when we are in a war for our lives. Forgive me, I was being selfish"

Tia selfish?

Ok now something was definitely wrong.

"If your thoughts are plaguing you then should tell me. Tia…" he said turning her face so she was looking at him. "Please tell me"

"I…I…Oh Benjamin it is so stupid" she confessed sitting down on the ground and wrapped her limbs around each other. Utterly confused Benjamin sat down next to her and waited he tried not to let his nerves dominate his emotions. The last thing either he or Tia wanted was the waterfall turning to ice next to them.

"I find myself wondering if…if I am the right fit for you…" she said finally. "I see Kate and Bella and Zafrina and all the other gifted and beautiful vampires and sometimes I wonder if perhaps…you should be with someone like that, someone whose beauty and brilliance can match your own. It is a silly thought but…Oh my love don't you see? You deserve so much better than me"

Benjamin was floored.

Finally when he felt like he could speak it was with a voice that was trembling with emotion.

"Have I let you down that much?"

Tia looked at him shock on her face. "What do you mean?"

"I…Tia I do not want anyone but you. I do not even see other women, I see you. The woman that has held my heart since we were both human. I don't want anyone else. In our human life, in this one and if we lose in whatever comes next for us I will always want you"

"But what I'm trying to say is that I am not…vibrant like you" she said finally but Benjamin was already shaking his head.

"My love you are the most vibrant person I know. You light up my world every second I see you. And as for that beauty comment—" he rolled his eyes and Tia looked down a smile gracing her face at his somewhat comical expression.

"You are the most beautiful woman in immortal history" he whispered. Tia giggled unable to stop herself and Benjamin clutched at it as if it was a victory. He kissed her softly and she kissed back the two of them pressing against each other until they were in the grass together.

"Forgive me for my insecurities" Tia said softly a hand on his face her red eyes filled with the steady and constant love that had been his guide for decades upon decades.

"No need to forgive my love" he said finally—how could he when he had the same—Tia deserved to be with someone who would bring her peace and not decades of being hunted by the Volturi if they got through this in one piece—Amun had found his weakness during their row after all and had no issues with exploiting it, but he ignored those doubts—he would always because he knew that in his heart standing by Bella and Edward was the right thing. He shook his head both as a statement to his wife's own words to clear his own head of dark thoughts.

"Just come to me next time and I can tell you how ridiculous it is for me to want anything other than you. Do not allow yourself to get upset over nonsense."

Tia smiled again and then moved to sit up. Benjamin who had no such plans to move pulled her down again so that she laughed.

"I promised Esme that I would get Rosalie her mirror back"

"Fuck Rosalie's mirror"

"Benjamin!"

Benjamin just grinned at her again.

Win or lose, whatever tomorrow would bring they carried on into this perfect moment of eternity all insecurities about their places in each other's lives gone.

* * *

 **And there you go, I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot. Please let me know what you think.**


End file.
